Skee oe



s. WINTER.

SKEE 0R SNOWY SHOE. APPLICATION FILED NOV. I6, |918.

LSNJYYU, Patented Oat. 7,1919.

STEPHEN WINTER, or BEIDGEPCRT, CONNECTICUT.

SKEE OR- SNOW-SHOE.

Specification of Letters Patent. 1

Patented Oct. 7, 1919.4

Application tiled November 16, 1918i Serial N o. 262,754.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, STEPHEN WINTER, a subjectl of the King of Hungary,residing at Bridgeport,`county of Fairfield, and State of Connecticut,have invented certain nen7 and useful Improvements in Skees or Snow-Shoes, of which the following is a specification.

.This invention relates toimprovements inskees or snow shoes such as areused in traveling on the surface of snow;

The principal object of the invention is to provide means whereby thefeet of the operator are so .engaged with the snow shoe as toallow alimited amount of movement thereon permitting the operator to move thelower limbs and feet in a natural manner as in walking.

A further object is to provide -means Y.

whereby thel runners of the skee may be folded, thus allowing the sameto be readily carried, or p-acked in a smallparcel when not in actualuse.

A still further object is to provide means 'whereby the` runners, whenextended or a modification in construction of the skee.

runner.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view taken on line 4 4 ofFig. 6, the parts being shown in an extended position and drawn to anenlarged scale.

Fig. 5 is a similar view of the same showing the parts in a foldedposition, and

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view, the section being taken on line6-6 'of Fig. 4 showing the parts in an extended position.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 10 indicatesla conventionaltypeof shoe or foot l covering adapted to be worn by individuals andres-ting upon a plate 11, shaped in conformity with the shoe and havingsecured at its outermost or heell portion a socket 12 vided .Withbuckles vor similar fastening' means engageable over the instep or frontj part of the shoe 10. I

The front p ortion of the plate 11 is formed to receive a pin 18, alsopassing Y through lugs 19, formed with the plate 20,

the parts operating in the manner of a hinge, permitting theplates 11and 20 to move upon the axis 18.

The plate 20 is firmly secured upon the upper surface of a pair ofrunners 21, integrally joined together at their upturned front portion`22, the rearwardly extending portions of the runners having securedupon them a plate 23 adapted to receive the thrust of the socket l2vcontaining the heel of the operator,` the side elements of the skeebeing further secured together by transverse bars 24, fixed upon theirtop edges and extended between the skee runner sides are latticeelements 25 adapted to make contact with the snow surface.

The foregoing construction is such as to permit the operators feet to beraised in a lmanner similar to walking, thereby making .the operation ofthe skee far easier than if the foot was rigidly engaged with therunners.

'In the modification shown in Figs. 3 to 6 inclusive, a similarconstruction is used in securing the feet to the skee runner, which, inthis case, is comprised of a pair of front elements 30 rigidly united attheir curved and raised upper ends 31 and engaged with rear elements 32at a point immediately rearward of the heel of the operator, the rearelements being connected by transverse bars 33 similar to the bars 24,

iI`he front and rear elements, respectively 3() and 3'2, are joined by ahinge of novel design, the same comprising a metal plate 35, pivotallysecured to the adjacent lends of the elements 30 and 32, by pivot screws36, having body portions 37 and extending heads 38, while set in theo-uter sides of the elements 30 and 32 are other metal plates 40 securedby rivets 41 and containing lateral recesses 42, theserecesses beingreceptive of key elements 4,4, having beveled lower ends 45 upon oneedge, while upon the other edge are extending lugs 46, the inner surfaceof the lugs being adapted to make contact with the edges of the recesses42.

The backs of the keys or bars 44 are adapted to make intimate contactwith the beveled edges 48 of the plate 35, when the runners of the skeeare extended at length as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 and wit-li thecorresponding surface 49, formed upon the lower or side edges of plate35 when the runner elements are in a folded position as shown in Fig.

These keys have an extending operative head 50 and in order to holdthese keys in proper operative position, and prevent their loss, a pairof plates 52 are secured upon the uppersurfaee of the runner" elements30 and 32, the plate having openings through which the keys pass.

Formed with the plates 52 are inwardly extending lugs 53, adapted tomake contact with the lugs 46 when the keys are in a raised positionpreventing them from being removed from the'space 42, similar lugs 54being formed upon the inner sides of the plate 52 acting as guides forthe keys as they are raised or lowered.

In operation, when it is desired to fold the runners 30 and 32, of theskees, the keys 44- are raised by their handles 50, and drawn as far outas they will go, permitting the elements 3() and 32v to fold upon thepivots 37 whereupon the keys are pressed inwardly coming against thesurfaces 49, which hold the runners in a folded position as shown inFig. 5, and similarly, when it is desired to" extend the runners, thekeys are again raised and the runner elements extended horizontally, thekeys are then pressed into position acting in the manner of wedgelevers, whereby the parts are held extended in a firm and riOid manner.l

PF1-om the foregoing it will be seen that a practical and effectivejoint has been pre sented which may lbe safely used by a personoperating the skees, the parts being when extended substantially asrigid as if they were integrally formed, and it will be manifest that incarrying the skees the joint becomes of unquestionable use as the partsare perniitted to be folded closely upon themselves.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is- 1. A skee runner comprising front and rearsections, a block pivotally engaged with each of said sections, slidingkeys adapted to be engaged with said block at the end of said sectionswhen in an adjusted position, said keys operating to hold said skeerunner sections rigidly when in either of their two ad'- justedpositions, and means for preventing `the removal of said keys.

2. A skee runner of the character described comprising front and rearsections, ablock pivotally engaged with each of said sections, slidingkeys adapted'to be vengaged with said block atthe end of said sectionswhen in ad-` STEPHEN wiNTER.

